October 24, 2007

It seems like ages ago I received an email from Shannon Foley eagerly explaining a trip that was being planned where 37 amazing people were to climb to 18,500 feet and perform a concert in hopes of raising awareness for those fighting a disease that ravages over 20 million people a year; cancer. Sean Swarner and I were in that business. We travel around the world visiting hospitals and giving hope to those who are told they are going to die. We try and raise the quality of life for people who are scared, confused, and whose lives are turned upside down due to a life changing diagnosis.

Sean is a two time terminal cancer survivor. He is the only known person in the world who has had both Hodgkin’s disease and Askin’s Sarcoma. Askin’s Sarcoma effects three out of a million people. Out of those three, only 6% survive. Upon Sean’s diagnosis of Askin’s he was read his last rights and given two weeks to live. Against all odds, Sean survived. Five years ago Sean started a mission in Kathmandu when he visited a small hospital were he met a nice little man named Dr. Baral. He visited that hospital to remind him why he was climbing. In 2002 Sean had decided to Climb Mt. Everest so he could scream from the rooftops of the world that there is hope, that the human spirit and mind can accomplish anything and that with love, hope, and strength life can be restored. On May 16, 2002 at 9:36am Sean became the first cancer survivor in history to summit Mt. Everest.

The irony was uncanny. Five years later, after climbing to the highest point on each of the seven continents, six musicians, eight cancer survivors, and twenty-two determined trekkers were raising money for the same hospital where Sean’s journey began just five years ago. When I told Sean about it, we just stared and each other in amazement and wept. Sean reminded me of a story about a green shirt….

When Sean was sick with his first cancer, eyes rolled back in his head, sixty pounds overweight, hairless, and seemingly pawned off as dead… His dad made him a shirt that read, “ I don’t usually look like this, I’m on Chemo”. It seemed to ease Sean’s mind in a time where his friends were worried about the latest hairstyles, trading baseball cards and chasing girls. Sean on the other hand was pulling hair out of the drain, fighting for his life, and crying himself to sleep every night. The shirt gave him comfort, it gave him strength, it gave him hope and represented that he was loved. When Sean was at the Bhaktapur Cancer Center five years ago he gave that shirt to a young man who was in the 4th Stage of Hodgkin’s disease. He told that boy that when he got better he was to pass that shirt on to help another get better.

Two years later, Sean was at a conference in Vienna and who should pop up but that cute little doctor from the Bhaktapur Cancer Center.

Sean: “Hey, your that doctor from Kathmandu!”
Dr. B: “Wow! Your that one lung cancer survivor that summitted Mt. Everest and brought that green shirt.”
Sean: “Yeah, whatever happened to that shirt anyways?”
Dr. B: “Sean, I am happy to inform you that your shirt in now on its fifth survivor.”

As amazing as that is, when I met Dr. B a few weeks ago he still had Sean and that green shirt on the front of his mind. Dr. B was so excited when I asked him about the shirt… His face lit up, and he very proudly said that shirt had now been on over 30 survivors. He said, “Ben, all we need is hope.” I instantly teared up and thought… Mission accomplished.

Sean has always said that the human body can last roughly 30 days without food. The human condition can last roughly 3 days without water. But no human alive can live for more then 30 seconds without hope, because without hope we have nothing.

To put in to words what has happened to me over the last 14 days is seemingly impossible. I started a journey with 37 people I have never met and am now concluding that journey with 37 people I can now call my friends. 37 people who have successfully given millions of people Love, Hope, and Strength. To my new friends in Nepal, look at what we did. Take a deep breathe, close your eyes, and realize the impact we have made on the world. Sean and I are happy with one green shirt and thirty people. This group has hit millions.

We are Love, we are hope, and we are strength. We should all be proud that we are not just living life, but we are living a life that matters. I thank you all, and as always, Keep Climbing.

My name is Ben Metzker. I met Sean Swarner just over two years ago at a picnic in Boulder, CO. I believed in his mission of hope so much I cashed in my 401(k) and dedicated my life to helping Sean change the way people think. It has been a tremendous struggle over the last two years, but listening to people tell us that we have changed their lives and watching kids faces go from frowns to smiles makes it worth it everyday. The two of us have worked tirelessly to make our mission a reality. Shannon, Mike, and James walked into our lives at just the right time to allow two forces to join together to make a huge impact. Thank you Love, Hope, Strength and all its valuable moving parts that has made this tremendous journey possible.

To all friends and family of LHS. We are all sitting in the lodge at Namche and enjoying some wine and each others company. Everyone is totally back to normal and it seems as if all illness has passed and we look forward to a 7 hour hike tomorrow to Lukla. Once in Lukla we will have a party for our Sherpas and Porters who have played such a huge role in our journey. First thing the following morning we will head back Kathmandu and finish our journey with a visit to the hospital and finale concert. To my Mom and Dad… Thank you so much for all your support. I love you both so very much and can’t wait to share my stories of Nepal with you.

Keep Climbing,

Ben Metzker
Love Hope Strength
October 25, 2007
Namche Bazar, Nepal
11,345 ft, 3,457 m